The 8,000-page book gives full and accurate account of the life and ritual activities of the Nguyen Dynasty throughout the reigns of Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Hiep Hoa, Kien Phuc, Ham Nghi and Dong Khanh Kings during the later half of the 19 th century.
The compilation of the book was started in 1889, the first year under the reign of Thanh Thai King and it took six years to finish. For many reasons, the book was not printed until the second year of the reign of Khai Dinh King (1917).
According to Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre Phan Thanh Hai, the researchers have overcome many difficulties to publish the book, which weighs more than 30kg in all. Three publishing houses were involved in the process.
The publication serves as an important material source for researchers and fills the gap in researching materials on the activities of the Nguyen Dynasty in the period from 1859 to 1889.-VNA